The Criterion Collection

[The Great Owl]

I just finished watching Aparajito, the second film of The Apu Trilogy.

Aparajito may not quite have the same low-key single-setting resonance of its predecessor, Pather Panchali, but I found it to be even more engaging in several ways. The change of settings lends a more fast-paced feel to the film, and I really loved watching Apu grow into a teenager who is developing his intellectual abilities and finding his place in the world. This movie, like Pather Panchali, delivers a couple of emotional gut punches that hit me hard, although I was expecting both of them.

I don't have anything particularly profound to say about these movies that has not already been said a hundred times before, but I'm really enjoying them.

Onward to Apur Sansar...

[shadedpain4]

Always interesting to see the things that bother people. I couldn't even imagine what it could have been in that scene that was bothering people.

Now I know!

Kind of. I still don't get why that would be nauseating, but I guess if it doesn't effect you that way it would be hard to understand.

[Namuhana]

I found Seconds to be generally weird anyway, so when the grape scene came up I was like "Oh, okay, this seems somewhat normal for the film."

[The Great Owl]

Seconds rocks. It's one of the unsung jewels of the Collection.

The grape-crushing wine scene? I think that it's a masterful sequence in the film, for many of the same reasons that Oildude stated above.

I also like the grape-crushing scene, however, because it's an introvert's worst nightmare. Being an introvert myself, the scene always weirds me out a bit. Too many people, too much closeness, too much everything... I can really relate to the mindset of an older man who experiences this cacophony while living in the body of a younger man.

[oildude]

Originally Posted by filmmusic

I just wanted to say,that as far as i am concerned, it isn't that I thought it brings you out of the film or whatever else, but i don't like it because I'm disgusted by the thought of feet stomping on grapes or playing with them (or generally bare skin touching raw food that you're gonna eat uncooked)
That's why many times I can't eat eg. a fruit if someone else has cut it or touched it or salad etc.

I probably shouldn't post this but there is an impish little devil in me that has gained control of the keyboard.....

I can't relate to this disgusting anyone. You do know that the grapes, foot stomped or machine pressed or whatever, are filtered and fermented before consumption? It isn't an issue unless you

[Show spoiler]are someone who likes the raw taste of mashed grapes from the bottom of the vat, squeezed between toes, mashed to a pulp by calloused heels, mixed by the nosh pit of unwashed human bodies, then chewed slowly while the juice pours down your chin..... (Sorry, dude, I couldn't resist. My bad. I hope that image didn't make you barf on your keyboard. )

I would think in a sane world people would be grossed out more by a Cronenberg movie than by a grape stomping bacchanalia filmed in black and white.

For the record, I have been to a grape stomping at a winery. Awesome messy fun. Just a great time, and you get to drink wine while doing it. I should confess that I was also among a gang of ne'er-do-wells that started a food fight in my college cafeteria that turned out to be one wickedly funny mess, even if I had to pay for damages, perform cleanup duty, and go on disciplinary probation for a semester. Good times.

Oh, and when stomping the grapes we weren't barefoot. We wore these little plastic booties to protect our city-fied tender feet from bits of branch, etc.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by oildude

I would think in a sane world people would be grossed out more by a Cronenberg movie than by a grape stomping bacchanalia filmed in black and white.

I've seen a lot of gory movies in my time. Lucio Fulci Italian horror films, Cronenberg movies, 1980s slasher films, zombie movies, and so on.

What grosses me out more than anything?

The scene in The Breakfast Club where Ally Sheedy's character draws an idyllic picture and then shakes her hair so that her dandruff falls on the picture like snow

[joie]

Originally Posted by oildude

I probably shouldn't post this but there is an impish little devil in me that has gained control of the keyboard.....

I can't relate to this disgusting anyone. You do know that the grapes, foot stomped or machine pressed or whatever, are filtered and fermented before consumption? It isn't an issue unless you

[Show spoiler]are someone who likes the raw taste of mashed grapes from the bottom of the vat, squeezed between toes, mashed to a pulp by calloused heels, mixed by the nosh pit of unwashed human bodies, then chewed slowly while the juice pours down your chin..... (Sorry, dude, I couldn't resist. My bad. I hope that image didn't make you barf on your keyboard. )

I would think in a sane world people would be grossed out more by a Cronenberg movie than by a grape stomping bacchanalia filmed in black and white.

For the record, I have been to a grape stomping at a winery. Awesome messy fun. Just a great time, and you get to drink wine while doing it. I should confess that I was also among a gang of ne'er-do-wells that started a food fight in my college cafeteria that turned out to be one wickedly funny mess, even if I had to pay for damages, perform cleanup duty, and go on disciplinary probation for a semester. Good times.

Oh, and when stomping the grapes we weren't barefoot. We wore these little plastic booties to protect our city-fied tender feet from bits of branch, etc.

From http://m.austin360.com/weblogs/liqui...raws-all-ages/

Every August, many Texas wineries invite people out to crush some grapes to celebrate the annual grape harvest.

At Dry Comal Creek, who hosted their 11th annual event this past weekend, wine barrels were cut in half and filled with grapes, and groups of two were instructed to produce as much juice as possible via stomping barefoot. Each jug of juice was then weighed to determine the champions.

Sabrina Houser, the owner of the vineyard, explained that while the expressed juice isn't used to make any wine (too much bacteria in the final product, she said), the winery does produce a special commemorative "Foot Pressed" wine for all participants using grapes that were crushed in a sanitary fashion.

[diskspinner]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Watched Seconds last night after the blind buy and, quite frankly, was blown away by it.

Freak man...what a movie.

Has to rank right up there with Picnic At Hanging Rock, Hiroshima Mon Amour and Sans Soleil as my greatest Criterion blind buy to date.

...big thanks to anyone here who recommended it!

Oh well...I had no idea that 'Seconds' is a weird movie until this post...It was high on my list, I guess I will skip this time

Anything that Ray likes is a warning for me (except for Picnic...)

[buffetfroid]

I haven't watch the Criterion disc yet but wasn't there a missing scene restored when this was released on dvd? I had taped this off AMC or something years ago on VHS and it was the cut version. However, I can't remember what was restored. Is it the grape scene?

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by Rhettroactive

Argh. Damn you, B&N. Just went double dipping and snagged:

Fanny & Alexander
The Double Life of Veronique

Both blinds and yes, I am actually excited to dig into both. Should I do the extended TV cut of Fanny or the theatrical cut the first time? Leaning towards the longer cut...

I haven't seen Fanny & Alexander yet, but The Double Life of Veronique was a blind buy for me as well two years ago and absolutely loved it even though it's not quite my usual kind of film.

[filmmusic]

Originally Posted by oildude

I probably shouldn't post this but there is an impish little devil in me that has gained control of the keyboard.....

I can't relate to this disgusting anyone. You do know that the grapes, foot stomped or machine pressed or whatever, are filtered and fermented before consumption?

well, i don't drink wine anyway (or any alcohol at all).

[The Great Owl]

I just finished watching Apur Sansar, the final film of The Apu Trilogy.

Considering that Satyajit Ray reportedly did not intend to make sequels to Pather Panchali, it's surprising how well these three films come together as a single cohesive entity. I thought that I was finished with the emotional rollercoasters after the first two films, but this third one had an equal mix of tragedy and joy. Pather Panchali is one of the best films that I have seen about childhood. Aparajito is a superb depiction of adolescence and of the discoveries of one's self during that time. Apur Sansar is a great movie about love in general.

I'm going through the extras on this final disc now.

Satyajit Ray's films have been a blind spot in my collection of Criterion titles, so I'm glad that I finally took a leap of faith by buying this box set. It'll probably be a little while before I get around to buying the others, though. I'd like to kick these three films around in my mind for a while, like I did with Ozu's Late Spring and Tokyo Story. It's like when a python swallows a large animal and does not need to eat anything else for a year or so. It takes me a while to "digest" these films, in a sense.

Thanks to Criterion for a job well done with restoring these masterful movies for old and new audiences alike.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by diskspinner

Oh well...I had no idea that 'Seconds' is a weird movie until this post...It was high on my list, I guess I will skip this time

Anything that Ray likes is a warning for me (except for Picnic...)

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by oildude

In my view, the grape stomping scene in Seconds fits perfectly into the narrative as an on-screen metaphor for lost inhibitions and self-doubt. The Hudson character is involved with a free-spirit who is attempting to pry him out of his reserved "elder" man shell. She takes him to a bacchanalia as part of her attempt to show him how she views the world. It works to a point, but he is also internally conflicted and somewhat repulsed by the flower-power mayhem the event unleashes. This was the latter 1960s after all, the dawn of the age of Aquarius. Hudson is exhilarated and frightened by this event. Despite his physical appearance, he is still mentally a middle-aged husband and may not be ready for immersion into the youth culture of the times. I think the scene is brilliant.

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Seconds rocks. It's one of the unsung jewels of the Collection.



The grape-crushing wine scene? I think that it's a masterful sequence in the film, for many of the same reasons that Oildude stated above.

I also like the grape-crushing scene, however, because it's an introvert's worst nightmare. Being an introvert myself, the scene always weirds me out a bit. Too many people, too much closeness, too much everything... I can really relate to the mindset of an older man who experiences this cacophony while living in the body of a younger man.

It just caused me to think of the grape-crushing scene by which all others are measured-"Lucy's Italian Movie."

[Ray Jackson]

Just reading the plot for Salo on Wikipedia makes me sick to my stomach.

I will never, ever, ever watch this movie.

...EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't care if it's a brilliant piece of political allegory.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Just reading the plot for Salo on Wikipedia makes me sick to my stomach.

I will never, ever, ever watch this movie.

...EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't care if it's a brilliant piece of political allegory.

One of the torturers in it would give your Avatar a run for the money for the title of "Creepiest Looking Guy" award.

[mja345]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Just reading the plot for Salo on Wikipedia makes me sick to my stomach.

I will never, ever, ever watch this movie.

...EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't care if it's a brilliant piece of political allegory.

Watch it man. If you enjoy watching human beings consuming fecal matter, then "Salo" should be your cup of tea.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by mja345

Watch it man. If you enjoy watching human beings consuming fecal matter, then "Salo" should be your cup of tea.

I do not enjoy that sir!

...I DO NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I do not enjoy that sir!

...I DO NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then definitely don't watch Pink Flamingos! which was part of the Collection back in the Laserdisc era.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by mja345

Watch it man. If you enjoy watching human beings consuming fecal matter, then "Salo" should be your cup of tea.

It brings new meaning to the phrase

[Show spoiler]"Eat shit and die"

.